Pharmacy Technician/MAP (WHWC)

Role Overview & Responsibilities

Position Summary

The Pharmacy Technician (Medication Assistance Program) supports Methodist Healthcare Ministries' (MHM) mission by assisting providers, patients, and clinical staff in obtaining medications through manufacturer-sponsored medication assistance programs. This role is responsible for managing medication requests, processing applications, maintaining inventory, ensuring proper storage and labeling, and supporting vaccine and sample medication programs.

The Pharmacy Technician plays a key role in helping patients access essential medications by ensuring efficient coordination between providers, pharmaceutical companies, and patients, while maintaining compliance with safety and regulatory standards.

Scope and Impact

This position directly impacts patient access to care by ensuring that essential medications are ordered, received, and distributed accurately and in compliance with state and federal regulations. The Pharmacy Technician contributes to MHM's overall health mission by reducing barriers to medication access for underserved populations.

The role ensures the efficiency of the Medication Assistance and Vaccine programs and supports the organization's goal of improving community health outcomes through accessible pharmaceutical care.

Decision-Making Authority

The Pharmacy Technician works under general supervision, exercising independent judgment within the scope of established policies, procedures, and regulations.

This position makes day-to-day decisions regarding medication order processing, tracking, and inventory control, escalating complex or policy-sensitive issues to the supervising pharmacist or clinical leadership.

Interactions / Working Relationships

• Collaborates with physicians, nurse practitioners, and clinical staff to process medication requests and refills.
• Communicates regularly with patients to answer medication-related inquiries and assist with applications.
• Coordinates with pharmaceutical companies and third-party assistance programs for medication procurement.
• Partners with MHM departments and external pharmacies to manage inventory, deliveries, and documentation.
• Maintains cooperative relationships with vendors, couriers, and regulatory partners to ensure safe and timely medication handling.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Receive and process referrals or requests from providers for medication assistance applications.
• Receive and respond to patient telephone inquiries regarding medications and assistance program applications.
• Provide clerical and administrative support to pharmacy operations, maintaining strict accountability and security for all medications.
• Verify, reconcile, and document medication shipments, stock, and shipping records.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of available medication assistance programs and pharmaceutical trends.
• Process and track refills, ensuring medications are labeled and prepared correctly for transport.
• Maintain medication schedules, logs, patient records, and inventory within the electronic health record system.
• Track and document the status of patient medication applications to ensure timely processing.
• Collaborate with clinical staff to coordinate and maintain the Vaccine Assistance Program, including proper vaccine receipt, storage, and documentation.
• Assist providers with dispensing sample medications, ensuring proper labeling, storage, and accountability.
• Participate in quality assurance activities, audits, and reporting.
• Respond to patient inquiries and assist in resolving medication-related issues or complaints.
• Identify and recommend process improvement opportunities related to medication access and inventory management.
• Support compliance with all applicable safety, infection control, and storage protocols.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Supervisory or Leadership Responsibilities

This position does not supervise others.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications (Required)

• Education: High school diploma or GED required.
• Licenses/Certifications: Current Registered Pharmacy Technician certification issued by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy required.
• Experience: Minimum of two (2) years of experience in a hospital, clinic, pharmacy, or pharmacy assistance program setting, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of prescription and nonprescription medications, including indications and side effects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a community health or nonprofit clinical setting.
• Bilingual fluency in Spanish preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• Strong organizational and recordkeeping skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret medical documents and pharmaceutical materials.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Spanish.
• Strong interpersonal skills to interact effectively with patients, providers, and external partners.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Competence in interpreting technical instructions presented in written, oral, or diagrammatic form.
• Demonstrated integrity and adherence to confidentiality standards and ethical practices.

Language Skills

• Fluent in English required; bilingual English/Spanish required to effectively serve patients within MHM's diverse communities.
• Must be able to read and interpret medical documents, safety protocols, and pharmaceutical labels.

Technology and Tools

• Working knowledge of the Internet, Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Experience using Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems for documentation and tracking.
• Ability to input, retrieve, and analyze data accurately.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

Work is performed in a clinical office or pharmacy environment with direct patient contact.

• Frequent standing, walking, bending, and lifting required.
• Must be able to lift and maneuver up to 25 pounds (medications, boxes, or supplies).
• Requires fine dexterity for data entry, labeling, and small equipment handling.
• May involve exposure to medical supplies, sharp instruments, and controlled substances.
• Must have access to reliable transportation, maintain a valid Texas driver's license, and carry auto liability insurance.
• Must adhere to infection control, HIPAA, and medication storage standards.